Louis Gossett Jr., the first black actor to win an Oscar for his role as a steely sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman, has died. Gossett’s nephew told The Associated Press that the actor died on Thursday night in Santa Monica. The cause of death is unknown, but Gossett announced in 2010 that he had prostate cancer.
Louis Gossett Jr.’s career
Apart from An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett is best known for the film Enemy Mine (1985), in which he played an alien who is forced to make a pact with his human enemy. In Iron Eagle (1986) he played an Air Force veteran who helps a young pilot find his father who has been shot down and captured.
Louis Gossett Jr. was also an Emmy winner
Following his Emmy win for Roots in 1978, Gossett received six more Emmy nominations over the years. He received a nomination for playing the role of the Egyptian President who made peace with Israel in the 1983 TV movie Sadat. He was also nominated for his performance in the 1978 special edition The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots.
Louis Gossett Jr. most recently starred as Quinn in CBS’s Halle Berry sci-fi thriller Extant’ and followed up with Madam Secretary (2014), Psych (2012) and ER (2009). He also played a guest role in IFC’s series, The Spoils Before Dying (2015).